Improvement in apparatus for butting and dressing timber



Z Shaets-Sheet W.-H. KNIGHT. APPARATUS FOR. BUTTING AND DRESSING TIMBER. I No. 189,864. Patented Apr'1124, 1877.

2 I Minimum ZSheets-Sheet 2. W. H. KNIGHT.

APPARATUS FORBUTTING AND DRESSING TIMBER.- Nth-189,864, Patented April 24, 1877.

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N.PETER$. EHOTO-LiTHP-GRAFHER. WASHlNGTON: D C.

PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. KNIGHT, OF QUEBEC, CANADA.

IMPROVEMENT lN APPARATUS FOR BUTTING AND DRESSING TI'M BER.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 189,864ydat6d Apr-i124, 1877; application filed February 12, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY KNIGHT, of the city of Quebec, in the county and-Province of Quebec, Canada, have invent ed certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Butting and Dressing Timber; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

I propose to perform the operation of butting or squaring the ends of logs by means either of a circular, vertical, or other suitable saw, (instead of by the ax, as at present,) and to do this by taking-the logs directly from the rafts or cribs in which they are originally brought down the river, and butting them afloat, thus materially-enlarging the sphere of this-branch ofindustry in removing the existing restriction of it to tidal Waters, while at the same time very largely reducing the amount of handling required, and saving time and ex pen'se.

I form ina floating ponton, preferably in closedand roofed,a channel, intojwhich the logs to be butted are introduced. In this chain nelis placed a feed-piece, from which project dogs, which gripethe log, holding itlfirmly, while the feed-piece is, by suitable means, drawn toward'the opposite side of the chair nel, thus bringing the log in contact with, and keeping it pressed up against, a circular or other saw,=which performs the operation of butting. As soon as this is finished, the feed: piece isdrawn backward and the log released;

The timber to be dressed is conducted into another channel forinedin this ponton, and

- thence raised "onto a carriage, which brings it under'the actiouof a cutting-knife working preferablyin the same manner as a steamhammer, which dresses one side while it passes along unde'rit," the timber being run back ward and forward until all foursides are dressed, and'the operation is complete.

For fuller comprehension of my invention,

' reference must be hadto the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification, in

whieh- Figure 1 is a plan-view of my apparatusfor butting and dressing timber. Fig.2 is a sec tional'elevation through feed channel, on line A A; Fig. dis a sectional elevation through ponton, on line B B, showing particularly the apparatus for dressing timber. Fig. i is a detail of modification of saw.

Similarletters ofreferenceindieatelike parts. A is the floating ponton or stage, which may be of wood or iron, and providedwith means for letting in and pumping out water, so as to raise or lower it to any floating level.

This ponton is, by preference, roofed and inclosed for greater convenience in Working, and through it is formed a feed channel, B, which is of such depth as toallow, when the ponton is at its highest levelot flotation, the largestsized logs to enter easily.

0 is the feed-piece, whichis a floating platform, framed and put together in any way desired, placed, as shown, in the channel B, (by

preference running itsentire length,) and having at either end uprights D, which pass up through longslots or'openings ein cross-beams E E, spanning the channel B.

To these uprights are secured ropes orchains d, which are carried to, and pass under and over,sheaves)", carried in bearings in standards F, and being weighted at the ends, thus drawing the feed-piece over from one side of the channel to the other, guides G G passing up through other slots 0 in the cross-beams E, thus insuring the evenness-of the movement.

H H are the dogs, our or more of which may be used, so as to hold to the feed-piece both ends of the logto be butted, from. whichever side it may be brought in. They are of a length sufficient to allow of free movement of the largest log between their griping-sur' facesand the front of the t'eedpiece when the latter is thrown back or in position to receive the log; are carried loosely in bearings It, so

' as to revolve, if struck; and have secured to their holding ends ropes or chalnsI, which them.

L is a circular saw of any desired diameter, carried'on the endofa shaft, l, andrevolving in a suitable recess, M, motion being imparted to nun-tawn throughgears, so as to attain the necessary speed with the greatest economy of power)-by a pulley, N, driven by abelt either directly from a small engine placed in the ponton, or from a winch, O, actuated by such an engine or provided with its own motive power.

where a great depth of water can be obtained,

to substitute for the circular saw a vertical one, to which motion maybe imparted from the englne by any of the ordinary mechanism used to operatesuch saws in a mill. If desired, the saw may, at one or more points near its periphery, have a portion of its metal detached, so as to project, as at L, beyond its face, this piece having the face farthest removed from the saw formed with a file or rasp surface, thus acting as a Scraper upon the butt-end of thelog to be operated on. v Q Q are ropes, secured at one end to the feed-piece G, passing through sheaves g, attached to the ponton, as shown in the drawings, and having their other ends carried to and secured on gypsies R, mounted on the shaft of the winch 0, or of the engine giving the motive power. It must be understood, whatever may be the exact construction of this engine, that means must be adopted for instantaneously disconnecting it from the driving-gear, such as, for instance, a conepulley, being used as the driving-pulley; or a slip-pulley or friction-clutch, or any like device, maybe adopted for the above purpose.

S is a channel, preferably at right angles to the channel B, and distinct from it, into which the timber to be dressed is conducted, and

from which it is raised by blocks S and tackle S passing through the longitudinal beam of a staging, T, erected at any convenient spot over the channel S and tramway U. The ropes S are conducted in contrary directions to the opposite ends of the building, and there pass over sheaves, and are brought back and secured to'the gypsies R. Upon this tramway U runs a carriage, V, to which a forward or a backward movement is imparted by means of a rack and pinion, or any other of the wellknplwn devices used for that purpose in sawnn s. a a The'timber raised from the channel is laid uponthis carriage, adjusting-pieces V being used tosecure it in the proper position.

The mechanism for dressing the timber is as follows: .W is a standard, upon which is secured a cylinder, X, (to which steam is furnished from the boiler of the main engine,) provided with proper slide, cut-off, 850., to the piston X of this cylinder being attached a pitman, Y, working upan-d down in guides W, formed in the standard, and carrying a cutting-knife, Y, the edge of its blade forming, as shown in the drawings, an oblique angle with its narrow sides, for the purpose of insuring the successive, instead of the simul taneous, contact of the various points of the edge with the surface of the timber to be dressed, and by this shearing motion obtaining a smoother surface.

This knife may be attached to the pitman in any usual or convenient way, such as by forming in the lower edge of the latter a dove: tail, into which the knife is slipped, and secured in place by set-screws.

It will be understood that this apparatus may be constructed so as togive the piston any length of stroke desired, and that the quickness of its operation will be regulated by the speed at which the carriage V travels and the width of the cuttingblade.

The tramway U is, as shown in the drawin gs, carried the whole length of the building, running up to and alongsidethe staging Z, which isprovided with rollers Z, for the purpose of removing the log from the building when the operation of dressing is finished.

The timber can, as the dressing of each side is completed, be turned or canted upon the carriage V, so as to expose another side to the action of the knife Y.

The operation of my invention maybe thus described: The log to be butted is,usually by men standing on a floating stage outside the ponton, guided from the pond into thefloating channel B, and brought up into contact with the feed-piece 0, when it isat once firmly seized by the dogs H, which, by the action of the weights sliding on the several ropes I, and hung in the recesses C, gripe and hold it firmly, thefeed-piece being at the same time drawn by the weigh ted ropes d,passing through the standards F, toward the opposite side of the channel, the guides G insuring that this movement shall be at right angles to the line of the channel B.

Should by any chance the log in its entrance into the channel strike against either one of the dogs it'will simply revolve and resumeits position when the log is in place. i

The movement of the feed-piece 0 across the channel brings the log held by it in contact with the circular saw L, (at a point, of course, previously marked by the operator,) and holds it to it until the portion or butt to be removed is out OK, the gripe of the log at both ends by the dogs H preventing it from yielding to the pressure of the saw in its working, and insu ring a square butt. I I

As soon as the saw has performed its work, the shaft on which the gypsies R are set is put in gear with the engine which supplies the motive power, either by engaging the frictionclutch or slipping the belt onto the pulley, and by its revolution windsupon these gypsies R. the ropes Q, thereby drawing back the feedpicce to its original position, and the rear ends of the dogs H, coming in contact with the ponton, leave sufficient space between their holding portions and the feed-piece to allow the butted log to be drawn out. This part of the mechanism is th the whole operation as often as desired.

channel S, an

Tongs, holdfasts, able devices conn then attached to ing the gypsies scribed, put in the R b gear,

en thrown out of gear, and

just described repeated the stick is, as belog, and the shaft carryeing then, as before dethe ropes S are wound upon them, thus raising the log out of the channel, and

enablin carriage V, the arra preventing When once g it to be placed on the ngement of these ropes any straining of the staging. secured upon the carriage and adjusted to the proper position, the log is run forward until it comes under the action of the rapidly-moving cntti being so regulated that the carriage shall move forward ne the knife at e When one is canted or pose a fresh .r carriage being run back so on for the four sides, operation automatically space of time.

ngknife Y, the motion arly or the exact Width of ach stroke of the piston-rod X.

side is thus dressed, the timber turned on the carriage so as to ex side to the action of the knife, the

for that purpose, and

and in a very short thus performing the What I claim is as follows:

1. A ponton or floating chamber having formed in it one or more channels. into which the timber to be butted or dressed is introduced, asherein set forth.

2. The combination, substantially as specified, ot' the feed-pieceOand the floating channel B, in which it is automatically moved forward and backward.

3. In combination with the feed-piece C, the dogs H, arranged in bearings so as to revolve, and drawn back by means of Weights and ropes I, set at right angles in the standards K, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth. 7

4L The circular saw L, placed in recess M, and driven by gearing set in dry chamber N, all as herein described.

5. In combination with a carriage carrying the log to be dressed, and advancing at a regulated speed, a cutting-knife, as herein de scribed, moving in guides in a vertical standard, and actuated by the piston-rod of a cylinder, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

WILLIAM HENRY KNIGHT.

Witnesses: I

H. T. JACKSON, R. 0. DE BEAUMONT. 

